


A War's End

by SansPeridot



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Other, Red Beryl OC, Series Spoilers, non canon story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-10
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-23 08:33:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9648200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SansPeridot/pseuds/SansPeridot
Summary: The rebellion had proven to be more of a threat to Homeworld than anyone could have ever predicted. Faced with a now very real war, the Diamond Authority has turned to a new method of returning control of the planet to their hands. A new Gem, with the sole mission of eliminating key members of the rebellion one by one without ever being seen. Eventually, she came face to face with the one who started it all... What will happen to Beryl once her mission is complete if Gems without a purpose are disposed of?





	1. Purpose

**Author's Note:**

> A story about a Steven Universe OC of mine named Red Beryl and her part in the Crystal Gem Rebellion. Inspired by a commission I had done by the wonderful (http://ine5.tumblr.com/) which you can find here:   
> http://skeleton-kohai.tumblr.com/post/156977906184/ine5-i-got-commissioned-by-skeleton-kohai-to  
> There's a good chance I'll continue expanding on this story, but I doubt it'll be on a regular update schedule.

A lone Gem made her way through snow covered trails hidden deep within a forgotten forest. Sunlight poured through treetops, their branches bare from the heavy chill of the planet’s winter cycle. A single pink eye took in the sights as it’s owner made her way through the tranquil scene, the other eye closed through force of habit. Flakes of frozen water lazily floated by and landed atop a pink head of hair before being dislodged by rapid shaking, sending them tumbling from the rest of her form. Thankfully her cape kept the majority of the stuff off her body, but it couldn’t cover everything. At certain points in its journey around the local sun, this blue orb discarded old climates more quickly than Blue Diamond shook off the loss of an Amethyst warrior.

Not BLUE Diamond. 

MY Diamond.

Beryl still couldn’t help it. As obvious as the truth was, there was just something... off about referring to the Azure Matriarch that way. Sure, she hadn’t been made specifically for her, but that didn’t change the fact she now served her. That alone should have been enough to dispel any doubts about her purpose because, as a Gem, she existed for no reason other than to carry out the wishes of her Diamond. No matter what those wishes might be.

My purpose...

She hadn’t been created like most Gems. No, Beryl had been kind of a special case. Where typical Gems were made with functions beneficial to their society as a whole, the Authority had required something different in the face of previously unheard of events. Instead of a builder, a soldier or a servant they had forged a cloaked dagger to deal with the unthinkable.

Rebellion.

High ranking members of Gem society defecting.

The loss of a Diamond.

Previously laid plans were sped up, ideas once considered foolish now deemed crucial. The concept of permanently silencing members of Gem kind without the general population knowing had never been taken seriously. That is, until the events on the young Earth colony. The Authority sought out locations where precious amounts of materials that would serve as the base for this new Gem. 

Even with all of their technology, the Earth could only offer up enough to create a single one. Alone, with no others like her among their race. A Gem whose true master and purpose had been distorted to suit the needs of the Authority. A Gem meant to serve as the Diamond’s janitor, cleaning up the mess rapidly spreading across this planet. A Gem who’d have no place left once her job was complete.

Beryl had thought it rather strange that ever since her emergence, she’d been kept separate from the majority of her Diamond’s Court. The rare exceptions being the occasional Agate, Blue Diamond and her Pearl. Other than that, Beryl had been ordered not to mingle with anyone else, forced to remain in her modestly furnished room when not on a mission.

It felt more like a cage than a room.

On only one occasion had she dared ask for the reasons behind her isolation. Her Agate handler hadn’t spared so much as a glance once the question was asked. Her only response was:  
“There’s no need to interact with the others. You were made to deal with this pathetic rebellion and once it’s over, you’ll be dealt with like every other Gem without a purpose. Until then, you’ll merely do as you’re told.”

The Agate’s eyes had been aflame with a cold fire, her rage at the loss of a Diamond so powerful that Beryl could practically feel it in her Gem. She’d never known Pink Diamond or even Blue Diamond before it had happened, but she’d heard whispers that it had deeply changed the Azure Matriarch. Once a stoic ruler, Blue Diamond was now bent on the utter annihilation of the rebel forces on Earth. A task Beryl had been created for, now that her original Diamond had been shattered. A task she’d proven more than capable of carrying out, if the number of traitorous Gems she’d covertly shattered were anything to go by.

Beryl hummed in frustration as more of the frozen water gathered on her head. It really was hard to concentrate when this planet constantly cried out for attention. Loathe as she was to admit it, Beryl could sometimes pass hours simply admiring the landscapes stretching out before her on a mission. Not that anyone else would ever find out. It’d be a death sentence to sound anything like a sympathizer to the rebels, but she felt a sense of freedom when working in the field. Everything seemed so vibrant and fresh outside of her glorified prison cell. 

Speaking of rebels, Beryl had been walking for a few days now in search of them. Following tracks left behind by those her Diamond wished to see brought before her. Well, what would be left of one in particular anyways. The rest would be dealt with in Beryl’s usual way. She wasn’t well known for leaving behind messes. It had been made clear that failure would not be tolerated, so she’d made it a point to exceed all expectations in an attempt to prove her worth. To show she could still have value, even after her job was finally complete.

There was something about this place, the planet of her birth, that had planted a seed of desire within her. Beryl wanted to see more of it, to explore every corner of this strangely captivating landscape. However, she knew this was wishful thinking, as her Diamond would not hesitate to dispose of her once the rebellion dissolved. So, she took what little time she had to appreciate the sights and tried her best to ignore her rapidly approaching expiration date. 

Day eventually faded into night as she neared her destination. Intel from one of the Authority’s spies had revealed the location of a rebel base of operations somewhere in this sprawling forest. Unfortunately, they’d lost contact with them before the precise coordinates could be sent, so the warp pad she’d used hadn’t left Beryl particularly close to it. That meant she had to hunt it down on foot from there.

Lights danced ahead of her in the distance, a clear indication she was nearing her target. Beryl took every step light as a feather, leaving no prints behind as she made her way past a handful of turncoat Gems standing guard at the base’s perimeter. Gliding within shadows cast by the lights of the camp, Beryl was still surprised at the sheer variety of Gems gathered in opposition to their Diamonds.

Everywhere she looked there were Gems from each caste in their hierarchy. Gangs of Rubies sitting around telling war stories, Amethysts patrolling in groups of two or more, Nephrites tending to ships, and even a Sapphire meditating by a campfire with another Ruby beside her. An aura of prideful solidarity surrounded the entire place. 

Just like every other group of rebels she’d seen before, they all seemed oddly... happy together. Beryl couldn’t help but wonder how they could find joy in being traitors to their own kind. If she had the chance, could she find pleasure mingling with the Gems back in her Diamond’s court too? If she performed well enough, would her dream of being properly integrated into her Diamond’s Court have a chance at becoming a reality?

This isn’t the time to get distracted. Focus.

Finding the rebel Sapphire here would’ve complicated things for any other infiltration attempt. Typically the Authority was more than a little cautious to attack rebel forces when they knew a Sapphire was among their midst, but Beryl was full of tricks. One of them being able to avoid detection by their Future Vision. Part of her whispered questions of why couldn’t it see her, but the rest of her was just grateful for the talent that made her job that much easier.

Sneaking past all of them, Beryl was still unable to locate her designated prey. She’d scoured every inch of the place without any hint of where her target might be. The base camp wasn’t very large compared to the Authority strongholds she was used to residing in, so it shouldn’t be taking this long to find them. Had this been a false lead too?

That’s when Beryl heard triumphant shouts and saw the Gem she’d been instructed to bring back to Blue Diamond in pieces. She was surrounded by a small crowd of Gems, apparently returning from a successful raid of some sort if the stolen supplies they carried were any indication. 

Beryl took a moment to make sure this was the right one. She couldn’t afford to make any mistakes now, she would only have one shot. It had taken a long time to reach this point and there was no telling when she’d get another chance. Dead end after dead end had worn her Diamond’s patience down to almost nothing. If this was truly the one, then she was close to fulfilling her purpose once and for all. Regardless of the consequences, it was simply what she had to do. It was why she’d been made.

A closer inspection revealed a head full of large, pink curls. A gemstone located directly on her lower stomach. White dress flowing around bare feet. An imposing sword of similar pink color held by her side.

The leader of the rebels.

The one who had shattered Pink Diamond.

Beryl’s assassination target.

Rose Quartz.


	2. Mixed Company

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beryl finds some odd things in the rebel camp, but there's only one Gem she cares about now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We find out a little bit more about Beryl. She's certainly a bit of a special case, but I didn't want to dump too much backstory on you all at once. Hopefully I'm doing a halfway decent job of spreading it out so far. Lemme know what you think of it in the comments! Or just leave a Kudos, those are always nice too~

The urge to move forwards, to finally fulfill her purpose was so powerful that Beryl felt her form begin to shake. The anticipation of being so close to doing what she’d been made for threatened to overwhelm her senses. 

One foot brought her forwards, still no prints left behind on the snow covered forest floor. Then another. She was so close that Beryl could almost make out every cut on the gemstone resting on the rebel leader’s navel. That’s when a dull ache slowly spread its throbbing tendrils through Beryl’s left eye, originating from the location of her own gem.

[I’ve been using my power for too long.]

With the realization that her early attempts at scouting out the rebel camp had taken far longer than she’d originally thought, Beryl had a choice to make. Either back off for now and wait for a better moment to act or… throw caution to the wind and strike right here, right now.

The pain from overworking her gem clouded her thoughts, making it difficult to think clearly. Her fingers crept towards her gemstone eye, already feeling the familiar pulse of energy welling up to signal her weapon’s arrival, but something interrupted her.

A flash of light exploded somewhere off to her right, accompanied by applause and a chorus of knowing laughter. Beryl swung her head to face the source of the sudden distraction.

Standing near the campfire earlier had been a Ruby and the Sapphire, but now there was only a single Gem in their place. Beryl had never seen a Gem like her before, even after all the raids she’d carried out. A weak spark ignited somewhere deep within her at the thought of another one-of-a-kind Gem existing on this planet.

[Is she like me? Alone? Are there even any others like her out there?]

While Beryl contemplated the possibilities, another flash of light splashed over the surrounding area. When it dissipated, there were two Gems by the campfire once more. A Ruby sat on the ground, rubbing her head with a furious blush on her face. Meanwhile, the Sapphire from earlier stood motionless before gracefully offering a hand to the other Gem. Smiles shone on both their faces and Beryl felt something warm radiating from the two. 

[That was a… Fusion?]

Beryl was painfully aware of the Gem Hierarchy and every Gems’ placement within it. Despite only ever interacting with a scarce handful of them, the information was ingrained into her very Gem. Programmed into her while she’d incubated within the Earth’s tender embrace. The remainder of knowledge that hadn’t been with her since emerging had been forcefully engraved onto her form by the unrelenting sting of an Agate’s whip.

Fusion was not a foreign concept, but simply being aware of it was no substitute for real experience. Sure, Beryl had witnessed fusion between rebel and Homeworld soldiers on battlefields before, but that was always between similar Gems. Rubies, Amethysts and even Jaspers had all combined into more powerful machines of war when the need arose.

This… This was nothing like that. Two different Gems? Not only were they not the same, but one was a Sapphire for Blue Diamond’s sake! The mere thought of such a low class grunt merging with such an upper crust Gem had never even crossed Beryl’s mind. Beyond that, there was something else that wasn’t adding up.

All of the rebel Gems in the camp all seemed happy about the Fusion’s brief appearance. They moved closer, joking and laughing at the off color couple the Ruby and Sapphire made.

How could they possibly find this amusing? If anything, they should all be horrified! This was an absolute affront to everything Homeworld stood for! 

As Beryl’s logic finally caught up to her thoughts, she remembered where she was. In a rebel camp, with Gems that had forsaken Homeworld for reasons she couldn’t begin to fathom. Of course they’d readily accept such an unorthodox pairing, they’d already been declared traitors to their own race. What else did they have to lose after that?

Rose Quartz cheerfully walked up to the now separated Gems, smile widening as she closed the distance. Beryl desperately wanted to hear the ensuing conversation, but the dull ache from before had evolved into a splitting pain. She had to find somewhere to hide and recover her strength. The mission would have to come after, she was in no shape to eliminate Rose Quartz at the moment.

Dashing away from the now crowded campfire, Beryl made her way to an unoccupied section of the camp. Leaning against the back of a large stack of stolen supply crates, she opened her still closed left eye.

Instantly, her form regained its color and shape, melting back into plain sight. Her five pointed gemstone twinkled in the moonlight, finally able to breathe after being hidden for the better part of the day.

Beryl slid onto the ground, clutching her knees to her chest. Her senses perked in anticipation of any approaching sounds, never able to fully relax while surrounded by enemy Gems. Still, the relief seeping through her core was an incredibly welcome sensation.

She held herself close, wishing she’d been able to bring her cape along with her. It wasn’t like the elements were a bother to her; the icy chill of winter unable to sink its teeth into her light based body. She just enjoyed the feeling of something surrounding her, emulating the sensation of someone’s touch. It had been the only real reason she’d ever requested such an unnecessary appearance modifier in the first place.

Her Agate had expressed very little interest in it, but relented when Blue Diamond had uncharacteristically allowed for it. 

Beryl took to wearing it on every mission, sometimes keeping it on at all hours while resting as well. In situations such as this, where she needed absolute stealth, she would carefully fold it before stashing it somewhere nearby with a marker only she would notice. After all, she couldn’t conceal things that weren’t a part of her.

A few hours passed until Beryl felt some semblance of strength return, prompting her to continue with the task at hand. She slowly let her left eye drift shut until her gem was no longer visible. Immediately, the rest of her body followed suite. The outline and colors of her form dripping away into nothingness until no trace remained. She was a nameless ghost once more.

Beryl joined with the shadows and resumed hunting for the Gem she’d been sent to shatter. This time, she located Rose Quartz much more quickly. Scouting out earlier had eliminated a vast majority of options for the rebel leader’s quarters, leaving only three hastily built structures for her to search.

The first building revealed nothing worth her time, apparently still unoccupied. The second, however, contained the thing she’d been seeking for so many years.

Beryl kept her back pressed to the walls, doing her best to avoid any accidental collisions with unseen Gems inside. Her power made her impossible to see, but she could still be touched.

Once past the entryway, she was greeted to the sight of Rose Quartz standing over a glowing table displaying battle plans of some kind. Next to her was a Pearl with a milky white gemstone displayed on her forehead. At the Pearl’s side were two steel swords, the blades shining in the table’s blue glow while Rose Quartz’s pink blade leaned against a nearby wall.

Beryl had heard muddled talk about a so-called Renegade Pearl in the rebellion during some infiltration missions into rebel installations. Yet another puzzle the pink assassin couldn’t unravel. 

After each of her missions, Beryl was given information about what she was to do next and details about her targets. Despite carrying out countless deployments against the rebel forces, she still had yet to meet the rebel Pearl. Only whispers of the Pearl’s deeds in combat made their way to Beryl through her Agate in the form of frustrated grumbles and aggravated curses during these briefings. 

It had gotten to the point where Beryl had grown convinced her target would one day be the Pearl in question. A concept her Agate failed to find amusing. That day had been full of reminders of Homeworld’s caste system and how her fuzzy memory of it required correcting. 

It was always the same when it came to speaking her mind. Now, Beryl simply opted for silence. At least that way she’d know her “lessons” weren’t self inflicted.

Coming as close as she dared, Beryl let her body naturally fall into its familiar striking stance. This would be just like all of the others. She would patiently await the Pearl’s departure before summoning her weapon, thereby rendering her visible. In the fraction of a second her target had before they realized they weren’t alone, Beryl would pierce their gemstone. 

Without time to so much as scream, Beryl would vanish again, leaving them to shatter as her weapon detonated. The explosion wasn’t flashy or even especially potent, but it hadn’t failed to shatter a single victim thus far.

Being forced to wait again didn’t put her in an advantageous position after her dizzy spell earlier, but her hands were tied. Beryl was no stranger to toeing the line, after all, she was on borrowed time even if the rebels didn’t shatter her first.

Without moving a fraction of an inch, Beryl couldn’t help but listen in on Rose Quartz and her Pearl. The two stood side by side, not quite touching. The Pearl moved as if to say something, but stopped herself. Rose Quartz noticed and gently laid a hand on the servant Gem’s shoulder.

“Is something the matter?”

The Pearl shuddered at the contact, but retained enough composure to answer.

“Rose, aren’t you worried? About all of the Gem commanders we’ve been steadily losing to some mystery weapon?”

Beryl reflexively tensed, her posture tightening a notch further.

[They're talking about ME.]


End file.
